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Best Open-Source Mailchimp Alternatives (2026)

19 self-hostable, open-source projects that replace Mailchimp — without list-size pricing that escalates fast. Each is scored for how hard it is to self-host, with one-click deploy options where they exist.

Mailchimp prices by contact-list size, so costs climb steeply as your audience grows even if your sending volume doesn't. Self-hosting decouples cost from list size and keeps subscriber data on infrastructure you own.

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Our picks at a glance

Easiest to self-host
Keila

Difficulty 3/5 with a One-Click deploy option, the simplest path to a running newsletter.

Most powerful
Mautic

Full marketing-automation suite, not just newsletters — the most feature-complete here.

Most active
listmonk

At ~16,500 stars it leads this group in momentum.

Best managed option
Keila

Keila offers an official managed option (managed:yes) and is positioned as an easy Mailchimp alternative.

Compare all 19 alternatives

ProjectDeployManagedLicense
listmonk
Go
22k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.06 days agoRepo
Mail-in-a-Box
Shell
15k ★
2/5
Easy
Manual
CC0-1.02 months agoRepo
Stalwart Mail Server
Rust
14k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
AGPL-3.03 days agoRepo
Mautic
PHP
10k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
GPL-3.03 days agoRepo
SimpleLogin
Docker
6.9k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
MIT3 days agoRepo
Maddy Mail Server
Go
6k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Manual
GPL-3.06 days agoRepo
Mox
Go
5.8k ★
3/5
Moderate
Manual
MIT10 days agoRepo
Mailtrain
JavaScript
5.7k ★
3/5
Moderate
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
GPL-3.09 months agoRepo
AnonAddy
PHP
4.8k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Docker Compose
+1
MIT15 days agoRepo
Modoboa
Python
3.5k ★
4/5
Involved
Docker
Manual
ISC6 days agoRepo
Keila
Elixir
2.2k ★
3/5
Moderate
One-Click
Docker
+2
AGPL-3.09 days agoRepo
SendPortal
PHP
2.2k ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.02 years agoRepo
wildduck
Nodejs
2.1k ★
5/5
Advanced
Docker
Manual
EUPL-1.23 days agoRepo
iRedMail
Shell
1.8k ★
3/5
Moderate
Manual
GPL-3.08 days agoRepo
Forward Email
JavaScript
1.6k ★
5/5
Advanced
Manual
BUSL-1.13 days agoRepo
phpList
PHP
859 ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
AGPL-3.010 days agoRepo
Sympa
Perl
310 ★
4/5
Involved
Manual
GPL-2.022 days agoRepo
AcyMailing
PHP
200 ★
2/5
Easy
Manual
GPL-3.02 months agoRepo
Sendy
PHP
100 ★
2/5
Easy
Docker
Manual
Proprietary2 months agoRepo

What to look for: Separate pure newsletter sending from full marketing automation, and remember that self-hosted email needs a deliverability story — you'll still need a reliable SMTP relay and proper SPF/DKIM/DMARC. Performance at large list sizes and an easy import from Mailchimp also matter.

Head-to-head:listmonk vs MailchimpMail-in-a-Box vs MailchimpStalwart Mail Server vs MailchimpMautic vs MailchimpSimpleLogin vs Mailchimp

The alternatives, reviewed

  1. #1
    listmonk
    Self-host: Moderate

    High-performance self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager

    22k Go AGPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No built-in marketing automation/journey builder like Mailchimp
    • No bundled deliverability/IP reputation management — you supply your own SMTP/SES
    • No native landing page or e-commerce/CRM integrations
    • Reporting and analytics are basic compared to commercial suites
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  2. #2
    Mail-in-a-Box
    Self-host: Easy

    Turn any Ubuntu VPS into a complete, self-hosted mail server in one command

    15k Shell CC0-1.0 2 months ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Requires a dedicated Ubuntu VPS with a clean IP reputation; shared hosting is not supported
    • No built-in bulk mailing or newsletter campaign tools
    • Limited horizontal scalability; single-server architecture only
    • Webmail (Roundcube) is functional but far less polished than Gmail's UI
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  3. #3
    Stalwart Mail Server
    Self-host: Moderate

    Modern all-in-one mail server with JMAP, IMAP4, and SMTP in a single Rust binary

    14k Rust AGPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No built-in newsletter/broadcast campaign tooling
    • Web admin UI is functional but less refined than commercial email service dashboards
    • Third-party anti-virus (ClamAV) integration requires additional setup
    • Community support only on the free tier; paid support plans are limited
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  4. #4
    Mautic
    Self-host: Involved

    Open-source marketing automation and email campaigns at scale

    10k PHP GPL-3.0 3 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Heavyweight setup with cron jobs and queue workers; not beginner-friendly
    • UI feels dated compared to modern SaaS tools
    • Deliverability depends entirely on your own mail infrastructure
    • Performance tuning required for large lists; upgrades can be fragile
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  5. #5
    SimpleLogin
    Self-host: Moderate

    Self-hostable email alias service to protect your real address from spam and tracking

    6.9k Docker MIT 3 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Self-hosted instance requires managing its own MX record and email reputation
    • No bulk sending or newsletter features; purely an alias/forwarding tool
    • Mobile apps connect to SimpleLogin's cloud by default; redirecting to self-hosted requires manual app configuration
    • Spam filtering is inherited from the destination mailbox, not provided independently
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  6. #6
    Maddy Mail Server
    Self-host: Involved

    Single-binary Go mail server replacing Postfix, Dovecot, OpenDKIM, and OpenDMARC

    6k Go GPL-3.0 6 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No webmail interface; users need a separate IMAP client
    • Documentation is less comprehensive than established stacks like Postfix + Dovecot
    • No built-in web admin panel for managing accounts
    • Smaller ecosystem and community compared to traditional mail server components
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  7. #7
    Mox
    Self-host: Moderate

    Complete, modern self-hosted email server with JMAP, DANE, and built-in junk filtering

    5.8k Go MIT 10 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No Docker image provided officially; manual binary deployment only
    • Not designed for high-volume transactional or bulk email sending
    • Admin UI and webmail are functional but lack polish compared to hosted solutions
    • Relatively young project; some edge-case RFC compliance gaps may exist
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  8. #8
    Mailtrain
    Self-host: Moderate

    Self-hosted newsletter app built on Node.js with advanced list management

    5.7k JavaScript GPL-3.0 9 months ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Development activity has slowed considerably in recent years
    • No built-in drag-and-drop email builder (relies on GrapesJS plugin)
    • Documentation is sparse for v2 features
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  9. #9
    AnonAddy
    Self-host: Involved

    Self-hosted anonymous email forwarding with unlimited disposable aliases

    4.8k PHP MIT 15 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Requires a properly configured Postfix MTA alongside the application, increasing setup complexity
    • No newsletter or campaign functionality; alias forwarding only
    • Mobile apps point to anonaddy.com by default; self-hosted URL must be configured manually
    • No built-in spam filtering beyond what the upstream MTA provides
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  10. #10
    Modoboa
    Self-host: Involved

    Web-based mail hosting platform with modern UI for managing domains and accounts

    3.5k Python ISC 6 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Still depends on external Postfix and Dovecot daemons; not truly all-in-one
    • Webmail plugin (Rainloop/SOGo) requires separate configuration
    • No bulk mailing or newsletter campaign features
    • Documentation can be incomplete for advanced plugin setups
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  11. #11
    Keila
    Self-host: Moderate

    Open-source newsletter tool, an easy Mailchimp alternative in Elixir

    2.2k Elixir AGPL-3.0 9 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Smaller feature set than Mailchimp — limited automation/journeys
    • Fewer template and design tools out of the box
    • Smaller community and ecosystem of integrations
    • No built-in deliverability/IP warmup; relies on external senders
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  12. #12
    SendPortal
    Self-host: Easy

    Self-hosted email marketing platform built on Laravel

    2.2k PHP AGPL-3.0 2 years ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No visual drag-and-drop email builder included
    • Automation workflows are not yet implemented
    • Limited built-in template library
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  13. #13
    wildduck
    Self-host: Advanced

    Scalable, horizontally distributed IMAP/POP3 mail server with no single point of failure

    2.1k Nodejs EUPL-1.2 3 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • No built-in web admin UI; management is done through a JSON HTTP API only
    • SMTP is a separate component (Haraka/ZoneMTA) requiring additional setup
    • MongoDB dependency adds operational overhead compared to simpler SQL-backed servers
    • Documentation assumes strong Node.js and MongoDB expertise
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  14. #14
    iRedMail
    Self-host: Moderate

    Full-featured open-source mail server built on Postfix and Dovecot, installable in minutes

    1.8k Shell GPL-3.0 8 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Full admin panel (iRedAdmin-Pro) requires a paid license; free admin panel is limited
    • Designed for dedicated servers only; Docker or container-based installs are unofficial
    • No built-in newsletter or bulk email campaign features
    • Upgrades between major versions require careful manual steps
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  15. #15
    Forward Email
    Self-host: Advanced

    Privacy-focused email service, an all-in-one Gmail and SaaS alternative

    1.6k JavaScript BUSL-1.1 3 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Self-hosting is complex and far less documented than the hosted service
    • Newsletter/campaign tooling is thin compared to Mailchimp
    • BUSL-1.1 license is source-available, not fully OSI-open
    • Running production email requires significant infra and DNS expertise
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  16. #16
    phpList
    Self-host: Easy

    Battle-tested open-source newsletter and email marketing platform

    859 PHP AGPL-3.0 10 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • UI feels dated compared to modern SaaS tools
    • No native drag-and-drop email builder; requires third-party plugins
    • Automation/drip sequences require community plugins and are limited
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  17. #17
    Sympa
    Self-host: Involved

    Scalable multilingual mailing list manager for large organizations

    310 Perl GPL-2.0 22 days ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Perl stack and complex config make setup challenging
    • No modern marketing analytics or A/B testing
    • Web UI is functional but not modern by current standards
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  18. #18
    AcyMailing
    Self-host: Easy

    Joomla and WordPress newsletter plugin with automation

    200 PHP GPL-3.0 2 months ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Tightly coupled to Joomla/WordPress ecosystem
    • Advanced automation features gated behind paid plans
    • No standalone deployment outside a CMS
    RepoDetails & deploy →
  19. #19
    Sendy
    Self-host: Easy

    Self-hosted email newsletter app that sends via Amazon SES

    100 PHP Proprietary 2 months ago
    How it compares to Mailchimp
    • Requires paid one-time license fee; not truly open source
    • Tightly coupled to AWS SES, limiting provider flexibility
    • No built-in visual email builder; limited automation
    RepoDetails & deploy →

The verdict

For a straight, high-performance newsletter replacement, listmonk is the standout. If you want true marketing automation, choose Mautic; if you'd rather avoid ops entirely, Keila's One-Click deploy and managed option are the easiest on-ramp.

Still deciding? Compare listmonk vs Mail-in-a-Box side by side →

Mailchimp alternatives — frequently asked questions

What's the best self-hosted Mailchimp alternative?

listmonk is the most popular (~16,500 stars) and is a high-performance Go newsletter manager. Mautic is the pick if you need full marketing automation rather than just sending.

Which Mailchimp alternative is easiest to self-host?

Keila (difficulty 3/5) has a One-Click deploy option and a managed tier, making it the lowest-friction option. listmonk is also approachable at 3/5.

Is there a free open-source Mailchimp alternative?

Yes. listmonk (AGPL-3.0), Mautic (GPL-3.0), and Keila (AGPL-3.0) are all free and open source. Forward Email is BUSL-1.1 licensed.

Do these handle email deliverability for me?

Not entirely. listmonk and Mautic generate and queue campaigns but rely on an external SMTP relay; you still configure SPF/DKIM/DMARC and sending infrastructure to land in inboxes.

Which option has managed hosting if I don't want to run servers?

Keila and Forward Email both offer managed options (managed:yes). listmonk and Mautic are self-host only.

Can I avoid Mailchimp's list-size pricing?

Yes — self-hosting listmonk, Mautic, or Keila decouples cost from contact count, since you pay for your own server rather than per subscriber.

Keep exploring

All Email & Newsletters →Self-hosted directory →Easiest to self-host →
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